Suzhou life simulator

Suzhou sits in southeastern Jiangsu Province beside Lake Taihu, just west of Shanghai. Mornings in the old core center on canal-side tea, wet markets, and noodle shops. The newer east and west districts move at the pace of a modern tech hub with lakeside paths and malls.

In real life, living costs vary across Suzhou. Modern flats near Jinji Lake in Suzhou Industrial Park are the most expensive. Suzhou New District and historical Gusu District offer mid-range housing. Outer districts like Wuzhong and Xiangcheng have cheaper apartments.

People use the Chinese Yuan for daily spending. Locals pay for almost everything with QR payments on Alipay and WeChat Pay. Even street stalls selling pan-fried buns and noodle shops take mobile payments. Large hotels and malls also accept bank cards, while small vendors still take cash.

LifeSim does not charge rent or pay a salary. You do not pay monthly bills. Instead, your cash changes directly through your daily activities and chats.

Lin, 27, moves to Suzhou New District to work as a quality control engineer. Lin sets two life goals: make friends outside work and visit the old gardens in Gusu District.

In the first week, Lin searches the map for Shuangta Market and walks there for lunch. A local vendor remembers Lin the next day and talks about morning head soup noodles. In week two, a coworker starts a group text thread to plan an outing to Jinji Lake.

They meet at the lakeside promenade on Saturday and talk as a group. Later in the month, a house party happening appears on the map near Soochow University. Lin joins the party, and the people there keep a memory of the conversation in their journals.

Say you start as a 30-year-old lecturer at Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University near Dushu Lake. In the morning, you check your daily to-do list and search for Fengmen Hengjie market to walk around. You chat with a neighbor in your own words before heading toward the campus.

In the afternoon, a friend texts you on their own to suggest drinks on Shiquan Street. You walk to a pub there, and later a karaoke happening appears on the map at Ligongdi. The day ends with a recap of your moments, and your friends remember what you did.

The 3D map in LifeSim shows real weather across the seasons. Spring brings mild air and light drizzles, while June brings the sticky, overcast plum rains known as Meiyu. July and August are hot and humid with afternoon thunderstorms.

Autumn is crisp and dry, when sweet osmanthus trees bloom across the city. Winter is chilly and damp, and real apartments rely on air conditioners or underfloor heating for warmth. You can dress your character for the season and plan outings when the weather is clear.

In Gusu District, you can search for the Humble Administrator's Garden and the neighboring Suzhou Museum. You can invite friends on an outing to Pingjiang Road or Shantang Street to walk beside the canals. The Master of the Nets Garden is another real landmark to visit in the old town.

West of the center, you can find Tiger Hill and Hanshan Temple beside the Grand Canal. In the easternSuzhou Industrial Park, search for Jinji Lake to see the Gate to the East skyscraper and the waterfront promenade.